Do it for Johnny
by GoldeneyedJohnnycake
Summary: When Ponyboy and Cathy Curtis found out they couldn't have kids, their world crumbled. Now that they've adopted a son, they have a chance to lay old ghosts to rest and create new memories. (This story features Cathy Carlson, but I didn't exactly think it fit the definition of a "crossover".)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** _ **S. E. Hinton owns all rights to the characters in The Outsiders and her other stories, I only own my imagination.**_

"No, I swear I'm not exaggerating, Darry. This little kid looks just like Johnny! Same name and everything. Cathy told me about him." I twisted the phone cord around my finger excitedly.

"Well, maybe she's seeing what she wants to see. Sometimes kids can remind you of a certain person and turn out to be completely different. Take Shane for instance- he looks, talks, and acts like me, but he is the craftiest one outta all three of my kids. Yesterday, I was called into a meeting with the principal because he'd hotwired his teacher's car so he could take it for a spin."

"You really need to learn some parenting tips, Darry. I'm pretty sure an eight year old kid shouldn't have hotwiring capability." I struggled to bite back a laugh.

"Maybe if I hadn't needed to parent you two numbskulls, we wouldn't have this problem. I'm exhausted just thinking about all the shit my kids are doing behind my back. Last week, I found a bag of weed-laced cookies under Patrick's bed, and when I questioned him about it, he offered me some. He said they were from the neighbor down the street. And he's only four! At least Mikey can't do a whole lot yet. He can't even reach the door handles. The worst he does is poop in the trash cans."

"Sounds like you really have your hands full. How's Soda doing?" I made a mental note to check the lasagna in five minutes.

"Not great. He just sits in front of the TV all day, staring at either static or infomercials. I guess Steve's not much better, but at least he has heroin as an excuse."

"Has the VA offered to put him on meds or anything?"

"He told me that he didn't want to start popping pills. I can't say I blame him, but if they would help him function normally, I don't see why he's resisting that option."

"I think he wants to try and get better on his own. He's always been like that, you know."

"I know. Hey, listen, why don't you and Cathy come over for dinner tomorrow night? We could talk more about that kid then."

"Sounds great. I've got dinner in the oven, and I need to make sure it's not on fire or something, so I guess I'll let you go."

"Okay, it was nice talking again. See you tomorrow, Pony. Tell Cathy I said 'hi'."

"I will, tell Soda the same. Bye, Darry."

"Bye."

I didn't burn the lasagna, but the garlic bread could've been used as a pumice stone once I set it on the table. I guess my cooking skills could still use some work. Cathy and I had a good laugh about that once she finished changing. "I honestly think that Johnny's the one, Pony. You know how they say you'll find the right kid at the right time? I think these are the perfect circumstances." She said, scooping salad onto her plate.

"I just don't know, Cath. You said he'd been abused, right? Maybe he's too far gone for us to do much for him."

"Trust me, Pony, you'll love this kid when you see him. He looks just like how you described Johnny. He definitely has some issues, but I think we can work through them all right."

"What about his parents?" I took a bite of lasagna.

"I don't know anything about them, other than the abuse they perpetrated. Poor kid."

"How old is he?"

"He's only four. Just come with me tomorrow, he'd love to see you, I just know it!"

"Oh, tomorrow night we're going over to Darry's to have dinner."

"Perfect! So you can tell them all about Johnny after we visit." She smiled and batted her eyes at me. I've never been able to resist that smile.

"Okay, I'll go with you. Just promise me that you won't hold it against me too much if the kid doesn't like me."

"He will adore you, I swear."

The next day, we went to the St. Jerome Emiliani orphanage to visit Johnny. One of the nuns on duty led us to a bright, airy playroom. "He's over here in the corner, playing with Buttons. I'll get his attention for you." While she ambled off toward the kid, I just watched him. Cathy was right, he looked remarkably like the Johnny I'd known thirty-some years before- a mop of thick straight black hair framed his tan face and his coal colored eyes were soft, though nervous. He was clutching a tattered sock monkey in his scrawny arms, holding it tight against his chest, and he'd shoved a thumb into his mouth.

"Johnny, this is Mr. and Mrs. Curtis. You remember Mrs. Curtis, don't you?" the nun whispered, crouching down to his level. Johnny didn't move an inch, looking for all the world like a deer in the headlights.

"Maybe you'd like to talk to him for a while. I'll go get him a snack." She left us alone with quick, soft steps, and I sat down a couple feet away from him. I figured that if he wanted to get close to me, he would do it on his own. I knew better than to force it. I smiled at him, and he analyzed every move I made. Cathy sat down too, and eventually, the nun came back with chocolate graham crackers.

"These are his favorite. Feel free to have some too, I brought plenty." Once she left again, I noticed that he was staring at the graham crackers. I took one and broke it into sections, holding one piece out for him. He watched me for a long time before he reached for it. His fingers were sticky from being sucked on as they closed around the treat, and he gave me a small smile before shoving the cracker into his mouth.

I kept giving him the sections until he'd eaten the whole cracker, and once he'd finished, he held Buttons out to me. I took the monkey, making it wave to him, dance, and finally run back to him, which made him giggle. Cathy was smiling, but she had tears in her eyes. I took another cracker.

"Want more, Johnnycake?" His eyes widened and he nodded, crawling close to me. I put my arm around him, breaking it in half. He took one half and laid it on Cathy's leg, putting the other on my knee.

"I want to share." He whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** _ **S. E. Hinton owns all rights to the characters in The Outsiders and her other stories, I only own my imagination.**_

That evening at Darry's house, we all crowded around the old table in the dining room. He'd invited Steve and Two-Bit, along with their kids, so it was hectic to say the least. "Then, he gave one half to each of us. I'm telling you, Darry, Johnny's the one, and I think we're finally ready to adopt him." I ducked as Shane threw a biscuit across the table.

"I said to cut that out, young man! Pony, if this kid is as sweet as you say he is, it'd be a crime to leave him in that orphanage. How old is he?"

"He just turned four. He shares his birthday with Johnny and he has a sock monkey named Buttons." I loaded my spoon with peas and catapulted them toward Shane, stifling a snicker.

"Seriously? I can't believe you'd be a terrible role model for my kids when you've been raving about adopting one of your own. Such a double-standard!" No matter how much Darry tried to hide it, he was struggling not to laugh.

"Shane didn't have any peas on his plate, so it was nice of Pony to give him some of his." Soda piped up, grinning.

"I guess you're right, Pepsi-Cola. It was sure nice of my kid brother to offer his nephew some peas. I hope he won't go hungry."

"Trust me, with the way Cathy and I eat, I won't be going hungry anytime soon."

"At least he isn't growing anymore. Now all you have to worry about is expiration dates. Cathy, what'd you think of the kid?" Two-Bit asked.

"He's such a sweetheart, and so quiet. I almost cried watching the two of them interact. It was just so sweet, it almost broke my heart." Cathy shoved a spoonful of peas into her mouth to cover up the emotion in her voice.

"Then I say go ahead. You two'll be great for this kid, from what little I've heard so far, and it seems like he digs you okay."

"I second that vote." Steve nodded, "You need this kid as much as he needs you. Besides, maybe you'll be so busy with him that you'll quit beating Darry over the head with 'parenting tips'." He used scare quotes for the full effect.

"I guess that means we should start the paperwork. I think I have it somewhere in my purse…" Cathy rose from the table, her soft dark hair falling like a long curtain around her shoulders as she searched.

"Damn, did I pick a real looker, or what?" I whispered to Darry.

"Is her hair even real?" Steve wondered.

"Yep, it's all-natural and home grown. It took a ridiculous amount of time to grow it out though." Cathy grinned, handing the papers to me.

"Can we fill these out after dinner? Meatloaf night is something you definitely don't want to miss, babe." I slipped the sheaf back into the manila envelope.

"That's fine, I need help to decipher the legalese anyway. That's probably best discussed away from the ketchup." Cathy replied, looking pointedly at the kids, who were attempting to see who could make the biggest meatloaf volcano.

When we finished cleaning up after dinner, we all sat around the living room on the faded sofa and chairs that had seen many better days, studying the documents. "What's a home study?" I asked.

"It's when officials come to our house and evaluate if we'd be the best parents for the child." Cathy rubbed her temples as she squinted at the small typeface.

"Kinda like when those social workers would come over every so often and evaluate us." Darry said, pushing his reading glasses up on the bridge of his nose.

"We shouldn't have a problem then, should we?" I flipped through the pages, looking for any fine print that might disqualify us.

"Not unless we live in absolute squalor and throw ragers every night."

"Well, there was that one time-"

"That doesn't count because it was our honeymoon!" Cathy couldn't mask the blush creeping over her cheeks, so she threw a pillow at me.

"I always knew you two were secret freaks. Maybe you won't be good for the kid after all." Darry remarked, smirking.

"It should all be peachy unless they start opening dresser drawers." I laughed, winking at my wife.

"Oh, shut up, and just read the papers." She handed me the rest of her stack.

"I'm pretty sure the honeymoon phase isn't supposed to last ten years, you two. Maybe you should think about hating each other for a while." Steve said.

"So says the divorced junkie with a kid living off government stipends and food stamps." Two-Bit retorted. "Speaking of, I need to go make sure those goobers aren't in too much trouble."

After a long night of pontificating over terms like 'filiation' and 'closed adoption,' we decided to call it good and head home. "That was great. I really love your family." Cathy mumbled sleepily as the streetlights illuminated her head in a sodium halo.

"Yours isn't half bad either, you know. They should invite us over more often."

"Yeah, but with M&M the way he is, it's kinda hard. I mean, Soda's more apt to communicate than my brother is, and that's saying a lot, because that little one-liner tonight was the most I think I've ever heard Soda say in the whole decade that we've been married."

"He used to be more talkative before he shipped off to 'Nam."

"I've heard the stories. Why didn't you end up going over too?"

"I was all set to go, but the doctors who checked me out found an old knee injury from my track days. So, they rejected me and went on to the next guy."

"Were you broken up about it at all?"

"Nah, it didn't bug me too much, but I missed Soda something awful. That's what really got to me; having him so far away from us."

"That's understandable. It's nice to have siblings around, but you'll never really know how much you miss them until you can't see them very often."

"Are you excited about this whole possibility with Johnny?" I asked, changing to a happier subject.

"Yes, but I want to lay down a few ground rules before we get too carried away."

"Shoot."

"First, no smothering him. He needs to experience life like all the other kids his age, unless there are other factors involved that haven't been disclosed yet. Second, no living vicariously through him. If he wants to go out for sports, or something, that's nice, but we aren't going to force him into anything. Third, no excessive punishments. Since he was abused, we're gonna have to figure out alternative methods of punishing and rewarding him."

"The graham crackers were a nice positive reinforcement."

"Yes, but we can't be feeding him graham crackers all the time. He'll get too chubby and that's unhealthy." Cathy yawned as we turned into the driveway.

"Can we discuss these later, hon? We're home now, and I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted." 


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** _ **S. E. Hinton owns all rights to the characters in The Outsiders and her other stories, I only own my imagination. I am also not a psychology, adoption, or child development expert by any means.**_

We visited the orphanage multiple times during the paperwork filing process, and on one of these visits, I inquired into Johnny's background. Sister Francesca, the nun who had first introduced us to Johnny, led me into a comfortable sitting room and had me sit down. "I assume that your wife told you that he was abused."

"Yes, but she didn't elaborate on anything." I replied.

"That's because we didn't disclose anything of worth to her. However, I feel that it is prudent to share, since you're already so far into the adoption process."

"Go ahead, I'm listening."

"Johnny was born out of wedlock to a couple of addicts who cared more about their drugs and alcohol than their own son. While they were wasted, his father would often beat him almost senseless if he cried, or made any noise at all, and his mother repeatedly tried to sell him for drug money. When that didn't work, she would lock him in a broom closet. He would cry out for her, of course, but she'd berate and threaten him with beatings until he quieted down. Sometimes they left him in there for days at a time. This is only a rough picture of what he went through, and I think he'd dissociate during these episodes."

"What makes you say that?" I asked.

"I'll come to that in a moment, Mr. Curtis. In addition to the physical abuse, he endured extensive emotional abuse and neglect. He was severely malnourished when the police found him, and there was little food in the fridge, save old condiment packets and drug paraphernalia."

"Why didn't the parents stop the police from finding him?"

"They were shot by their dealers for the money they owed, and were already long dead by the time the police secured the scene. One of the policemen heard Johnny whimpering from the broom closet, and broke the door down to reveal the poor darling sobbing and rocking back and forth in a pool of his own bodily fluids. He'd been frightened by the gunfire, but he wouldn't let the policeman take him to get medical attention. I don't know whether they had to sedate him, or not, but I think he passed out from malnutrition and exhaustion. One of the men who found him said that he initially had a thousand-yard stare, like one is apt to see on traumatized war veterans."

"And he came here once he was healthy enough?"

"Yes. He has made remarkable progress here, but I think that you and your wife would be a better fit than we would, since you could devote more time and resources to caring for him." Sister Francesca rose, offering me her hand. "Would you like to see him now?"

"Yes, I would."

Johnny and Cathy were sitting near one of the big windows in the playroom, and she was showing him a butterfly that had landed on the windowpane.

"See that, Johnnycake? Isn't that butterfly pretty? It's so orange, isn't it."

"Mmm." He was sucking his thumb, and holding Buttons on his lap, a safe distance away from Cathy.

"It looks like a Monarch." I mumbled.

"I think you're right." Cathy agreed.

Johnny stood up, stumbling over to me, and looked me over, with Buttons snuggled tightly against his side. He chewed ponderously on his thumb, and a thin string of saliva dripped down his chin as he attempted to analyze what I would do next. I sat down and watched the butterfly for a moment before it flitted away. Johnny then looked from me to Cathy anxiously before sitting down as well.

"He'll warm up to you again, don't worry." Sister Francesca whispered, before leaving us alone with Johnny.

"Now what?" I mouthed. Cathy shrugged. Johnny grabbed a throw pillow from a basket and laid down with it, watching every move we made. When I put my jacket over him, he flinched. "Shh, shh, it's okay, Johnnycake. Just go to sleep." He didn't seem to trust me at first, but I channeled Soda's technique by gently rubbing his back. It worked like a charm, and he soon fell asleep after a big yawn, thumb still firmly entrenched in his mouth.

"I have a feeling that he's never going to quit doing that." Cathy remarked, stroking his hair.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** _ **S. E. Hinton owns all rights to the characters in The Outsiders and her other stories, I only own my imagination. Disney owns Star Wars, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are owned by Nickelodeon, I think. Please don't sue me if I missed anything!**_

Once the adoption was finalized, we were able to take Johnny home with us. He was wary of his new surroundings at first, and he kept walking around the house, avoiding every closet he either saw, or thought he saw. Buttons, as always, was his constant companion in his explorations, and when he found his room, he made sure to touch everything except the closet door at least once. I followed him soon after and helped him lift the lid off the toy box. "These are all your very own toys, Johnnycake. See? You have soldiers, all sorts of action figures, and even some Ninja Turtles." He watched as I pulled out Luke Skywalker and Raphael. "You can have all kinds of adventures with these guys. I even got you a Millennium Falcon that you can put them in." I decided not to tell him about my copy of _Gone With the Wind_ just yet. That waited on top of the mounted bookshelf for when he got older.

I watched him play for a few hours before dinner, and I have to say, the kid was certainly creative. I'd never seen Luke Skywalker take down the Mystery Machine with He-Man and some jacks before, but Johnny sure knew it could be done. Buttons, of course, helped along the way, and that sock monkey was the one thing he carried with him to the dinner table. Spaghetti-O's were on the menu tonight, since we hadn't gone grocery shopping yet, but Johnny didn't seem to mind. He just ate in silence, only looking up to drink his milk once in a while. I gave him a chocolate graham cracker after dinner, which he was nibbling on as we relocated to the TV room. "When's everyone dropping by?" Cathy wondered, momentarily tearing her eyes away from our boy.

"I think they're gonna come by throughout the week. Two-Bit said they'd all try to come one by one, so they don't freak Johnny out."

"Will Soda be first?"

"I hope so. It'll be great for the two of them to bond right away."

The doorbell rang as soon as I went for ice cream. Contrary to what I'd expected, it was Darry. "Sorry about dropping in like this, but I just couldn't wait to see him. How's everything going?"

"It's fairly smooth so far. We're all in the TV room. Want some ice cream?"

"No, thanks. Oh, wow. He does look like Johnny, doesn't he?" Darry murmured, slowly entering the room and sitting down a little ways away from him. Johnny snapped to attention when he heard the new person, and surveyed my brother with the calculating gaze of a soldier in battle. He squeezed Buttons for moral support, but drew back sharply when Darry reached out his hand. "Skittish little thing, isn't he?" he whispered to Cathy.

"It's okay, Johnnycake, this is your Uncle Darry. He's very nice, like Daddy." Cathy reassured.

Johnny didn't move from his position, so I pushed his graham cracker closer to him. He didn't take it, but instead, his little chest heaved as he started shaking and turned white as a sheet. He pushed his thumb into his mouth and rocked back and forth in the corner of the room, eyes wide, and softly whimpering against his sock monkey.

"Looks like I really fubared this, huh?" Darry observed.

"No, you're okay, he's just kinda overwhelmed right now. Hey, Cath, let's see what happens if you turn off the TV." I edged close to Johnny, but not too close. "It's okay, Johnnycake, no need to cry. Everything's gonna be just fine." I started to stroke his hair, and he stopped rocking. "Good, good, just calm down now. Everything is just fine, Johnnycake." I wasn't expecting him to crawl into my lap, but once he did, I held him against my chest. "Easy there, Johnny. Shh, shh, shh, it's okay, Daddy's got you, you're safe, honey. You're safe now."

Eventually, Johnny calmed down enough to glance at Darry over my shoulder. He smiled and waved at Johnny, and I gently kissed his forehead. "See? It's okay, Johnny. He's very sweet, I promise. Can you say 'hi' to him?"

"Hi." Johnny vocalized, before burying his face in my chest again.

"That was pretty good for a first meeting. When I first met him, getting him to talk was like drawing blood from a stone." Cathy said, playing with my hair. Johnny pushed himself out of my lap, reaching for his graham cracker, and bit off half of a section.

"He loves those things." I smiled, watching him finish off his snack.

"I have a feeling that Johnny's gonna have one hell of a sweet tooth. You might wanna stock up on chocolate cake mix while you still can." Darry joked, leaning forward slightly to watch his new nephew.

"Hopefully he won't want it for breakfast every day. At least for right now, one graham cracker seems to suffice." I couldn't get over how sweet he looked huddled in the corner crunching on that graham cracker. I don't think I'd ever seen a kid that cute before, and now he was ours forever.

"I'm gonna go get some wipes. Want anything while I'm up?"

"Could you get me some ice cream, Cath? I got kinda distracted, and forgot I wanted some."

"Sure, babe. I'll be right back."

"You think that you or Cathy will ever be his teacher, Pony?"

"I hope not. High school English is hard enough without having your dad or mom as your teacher. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, I think; it's still twelve years away."

Cathy returned with three Styrofoam bowls of ice cream, and four plastic spoons. "Let's see what happens, shall we?" She set the wipes down by her feet. Johnny looked curiously at everything, and furrowed his brow when I gave him a spoon. He stuck it in his mouth, but then locked onto the ice cream. I helped him get a spoonful of mine, and I took a spoonful too, so he wouldn't eat alone. "You like it, Johnnycake? Go see what Mommy has."

"Want some strawberry? Here, let's put some on your spoon."

"I think he likes it better than the vanilla." I said.

"Go see what Uncle Darry has. You'll like that the most." Cathy couldn't keep the grin off her face.

"We chocoholics have to stick together." he whispered after helping Johnny with the spoon. Johnny sat down against Darry's knee, and looked up at him once he'd finished the bite. "Want more, kiddo?" Johnny nodded. "Okay, give me your spoon."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** _ **S. E. Hinton owns all rights to the characters in The Outsiders and her other stories, I only own my imagination.**_

Bedtime turned out to be no easy task; I don't know why I ever thought it would be. After Darry left, we stayed up for a little while, trying to play with Johnny before he started yawning and rubbing his eyes. "Looks like he's tired." Cathy observed.

"He's had a big day today. He met new people and saw lots of new things." I picked Johnny up, and he went as stiff as a board, trying to get away from me. I put him down and held my hand out for him. When he grabbed it, we walked to his room, where Cathy had laid out three pairs of pajamas. "Okay, buddy. Choose whichever you like best."

He was torn between the turtle pajamas and dinosaur ones, but he finally decided on the turtle ones. I put the dinosaur ones on the chair. "Now it's bedtime. Do you want me to read to you?" He shook his head. "Light on, or off?"

"Off."

"I'll leave the hall light on, okay? Mommy and Daddy's room is just across the hall if you need us." I kissed his forehead and tucked Buttons in with him. "Good night, Johnnycake. See you in the morning. I love you."

Once Cathy said her good night, we got ready for bed too. "That was easier than I thought." She sighed, relieved, as she flopped on the bed.

"We have to be ready for anything." I warned from the bathroom, spraying toothpaste foam on the mirror by accident.

"I don't know what you're expecting, Pony, but I'm sure he'll be fine."

At precisely three in the morning, I jerked awake, ripped from a dream by a shriek. "I'll go see what's wrong." I whispered to Cathy, shoving my feet into slippers. I slipped quietly into Johnny's room and found the poor kid curled into himself, sobbing. I knew what had happened even before I'd walked in. "It's okay, Johnnycake, the nightmare's over. Daddy's right here, you're safe." I teared up while he bawled inconsolably into my chest. I knew what it was like, I'd had plenty of nightmares since my folks died, all of them ending in tear soaked screaming. He was shaking like a leaf in a tornado, and when Cathy appeared in the doorway, I beckoned her over. "You think you could change his sheets while I get him cleaned up?" The smell of urine was unmistakable, and she nodded, petting Johnny's hair.

"Let's give you a bath, Johnnycake. Won't that be nice? You can wear your dinosaur pajamas afterwards." I talked to him even though he was still sniffling and crying in tiny hiccoughs. I thought it would make him feel better. It had always worked for me. I wiped his face with a warm washcloth and gave him a duck to play with while I cleaned him up.

"How's our little trooper?" Cathy asked, yawning.

"Still working on that thumb, but at least the shaking's gone down a little. Did you find the sheets?"

"Yep, and these pajamas." She also handed Buttons over, much to Johnny's delight. "I wonder where that sock monkey came from. It doesn't seem like the type of thing the orphanage would have on hand."

"Maybe it came with him when he first came to the orphanage." I dried him off, and tugged his clean clothes on, struggling a little to get around Buttons.

"I wonder if it'd be best for him to sleep with us tonight."

"No, I really want him to adjust to his room. I'll just stay with him until he falls asleep again."

"Okay. Just don't forget to come back to bed."

"If worse comes to worst, it's Saturday." I picked Johnny up, and this time, he laid his head sleepily against my shoulder.

Once all the good nights were said again and all the kisses given, I crawled into bed with Johnny. He snuggled against my side, and quickly fell asleep, softly sucking his thumb. I looked around the shadows, perplexed for a moment, and then I realized why he'd been so terrified even after I'd rushed in to comfort him. There was absolutely no light in his room, except the small sliver beneath the door. "Let's get you some glow stars tomorrow, buddy." I breathed into his hair before falling asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** _ **S. E. Hinton owns all rights to the characters in The Outsiders and her other stories, I only own my imagination. Disney still owns Star Wars, and Creedence Clearwater Revival owns all the rights to their songs. Please don't sue me!**_

Saturday morning dawned cool, grey, and rainy. "Want your red sweater, Johnnycake?" I asked. He held his arms out for it, and I tied his shoes while he tugged it over his head.

"Aw, there's my cute little man! Did you and Daddy sleep well?" Cathy beamed, seeing the result of my third or fourth attempt at dressing Johnny.

"Mmm." His thumb never seemed to leave his mouth unless he was eating, and that seemed to be about all we could get out of him so far.

"Go get Buttons so we can get breakfast, okay?" Offering that distraction gave me enough time to slip into the shower before dressing myself. I'd just started shaving when Johnny ran up to the door to watch. I sat him on the toilet lid and hummed along to an old Creedence tune playing on the radio. _'It was down in Louisiana, just about a mile from Texarkana, in them old cotton fields back home…'_ Creedence always reminded me of Soda, no matter what song played, but I never quite knew why. "There. Let's see how you like me now." I knelt down to his level, letting him touch my face, and watched his eyes light up.

"Pony, Johnny, where are you guys? It's breakfast time." Cathy called.

"We'll be out in a minute, hon! Come on, buddy, we wouldn't want Mommy to worry about us." I didn't even have to hold my hand out this time, he just grabbed hold of it and we walked into the dining room together.

"I can't get over how cute y'all are together, Pony! Look at him, I told you he'd adore you." Cathy poured syrup on the waffles as I lifted Johnny into his chair.

"He was watching me shave earlier." I smiled at him, tucking a napkin into the neck of his sweater as he grabbed Buttons.

"He's been watching every move you make since we brought him home. I think he likes you."

"No, he likes Darry. He loves you and me; there's a difference."

"I think he'll learn to love the whole family in time."

"That's what all the experts say- it takes lots of time, and a lot more TLC. D'you think we could stop at a store today? I'd like to get some of those glow stars for Johnny's ceiling." I spread the syrup evenly in the waffle pockets. Johnny was mesmerized with this technique, and tried to copy it, much to Cathy's amusement.

"Oh, that's adorable! You're already rubbing off on him, Pony. I think the craft store has some of those stars."

"At least it's one of my more normal habits. Here, kinda scoop the syrup with the back of your fork and then push it on the bare spots. Yeah, just like that! Good job, Johnnycake."

"Did my eyes deceive me earlier, or did you dress him in a Star Wars shirt?"

"Your eyesight is 20/20, babe." I cut up Johnny's waffle for him, and sprinkled a little powdered sugar on top.

"Well, at least now I have two cute geeks to take care of instead of just one."

"That was the fourth shirt I tried dressing him in this morning. He was a little grumpy and kept pulling them off when I searched for one of his sweaters. He seemed okay with this one, though."

It's because you showed him all the action figures. Just promise me you'll at least wait a few years before letting him watch the movies."

"I promise. Right now, I think he likes the toys more than the movies, so that shouldn't be too hard."

It was pouring buckets when we drove to the store, and Johnny and Cathy were racing raindrops on the windshield. "I think mine's gonna win, here it comes, oh no! Yours beat mine, Johnnycake."

"I think the winner should get ice cream. What do you think, Cath?"

"After we go shopping we'll go to Dairy Queen, okay?"

"Chocolate." Johnny piped up from the back seat.

"I like the way you think, Johnnycake. I definitely want an Oreo Blizzard." I winked at him in the rearview mirror.

"I think I'll go for a banana split." Cathy squeezed Johnny's knee, which made him kick the back of her seat.

"I got sick of those years ago. Those and barbeque sandwiches are a couple of the things I can't stomach now."

"Taste too much like bologna, huh?"

"You could say that."

The craft store was packed out, and I let Cathy hold Johnny until we grabbed a cart. "Look at these ones, Johnnycake. This one has planets and everything, all nine of them." I pointed to a glow star package with over 500 stars and planets. It even had a chart to create constellations.

"Mmm." Johnny said, nodding his head sagely.

"I think he wants that one, Pony. But, let's pick out some more for his walls while we're here. He needs to have them everywhere for the full effect."

"They also might help him sleep better." I said, as two sets of frazzled parents pushed by us. "Shut up, Eric, we'll get the Ninja Turtles on the way home! Right now, Mommy's here for a pottery wheel." one mother screamed, and a father just sighed, eyeing me with a slightly jealous expression as his kids raced like maniacs toward the bead aisle.

"I hope we won't become like them." Cathy muttered.

"I doubt we will. It's okay, Johnnycake, you can uncover your ears now." I patted his shoulder and he uttered a shuddery sigh, relieved that the commotion was over. We checked out, and were soon on our way to Dairy Queen. Cathy and I couldn't quit laughing at the state of Johnny's face after the ice cream, and I gave him one of Cathy's cherries to eat while I cleaned him off.

When we got home, Johnny, Cathy, and I went to his bedroom to put up all the stars. It took a few hours, and Johnny soon grew bored, preferring to play with Buttons and Luke Skywalker over helping us. When the last star was stuck, I got Johnny's attention before showing him what they did. "Watch this, Johnnycake." I shut the door and turned out the lights to reveal the entire Milky Way galaxy glowing all over his room.

"Wow." He whispered. I doubt that he'd ever smiled so big in his entire life.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** _ **S. E. Hinton owns all rights to the characters in The Outsiders and her other stories, I only own my imagination. Disney owns Star Wars, when last I checked, FX owns The Karate Kid, and either American Zoetrope, Paramount, or Miramax owns Apocalypse Now. Please don't sue me!**_

When Monday rolled around, Cathy and I both had to go back to work. Luckily, Darry had offered to babysit Johnny for us, so we weren't leaving him somewhere with complete strangers.

"Are you sure you can do this, Darry?" I asked, reluctantly zipping up my jacket.

"Don't worry about us, we'll be fine; won't we, Johnny? I think you're forgetting that I have three kids of my own. This one shouldn't be too difficult." Darry grinned as Johnny blinked at him from under the table.

"Okay, just call us if you need anything at all." Cathy chimed in, scooping Johnny up for kisses. "Be good for Uncle Darry, okay, Johnnycake?"

"Mmm."

"Does he ever say anything else?"

"Darry, I swear, if I come home and he's learned any new vocabulary words, I will kill you in your sleep."

"I won't teach him those till he's older, believe me. Steve's the one you really have to watch. You should hear the mouth on little Dave."

"I have, and that's what I'm afraid of."

"Seriously, we'll be fine. We won't even watch _Apocalypse Now_ , or anything. I promise."

"Okay. You'd better keep it. Bye, Johnnycake, I'll see you this afternoon, okay? Don't go too crazy with the graham crackers."

"Mmm." He replied, not looking away from Darry.

Darry and Johnny had a pretty full day, from what I was told. First things first, Johnny showed off his room. "Oh, cool! I love glow stars. You know what planet that big one is, kiddo? That's Jupiter. And the teeny one over there is Pluto."

"Lookit, Star Wars." Johnny brought out Luke Skywalker and stuck him on a rocket ship.

"Nice! D'you have other ones too? I like Han Solo."

They played for a couple of hours when Johnny tugged on Darry's sleeve. "I'm hungry."

"Me too, kiddo. Let's go see what we can rustle up. You ever have a Nutella and marshmallow sandwich?" Johnny shook his head. "Well, why don't we remedy that and then see what's on TV?" They ate their lunch and dessert through all three _Karate Kid_ films, and then Darry asked "Wanna come with me to see your daddy's best friend?"

On the way to the cemetery, they bought two small bouquets of flowers, and the florist gave Johnny some baby's breath. "Off we go, Johnnycake." The cemetery was small, but we'd made sure that Dally and Johnny were buried next to each other. Once a month, at least one of us would go replace the flowers on the graves, and this was my son's first introduction to the tradition.

"Stay with me so I don't get lost, okay?" Darry squeezed Johnny's hand.

"Okay."

"Those flowers you picked out are real nice. I'm sure they like them a whole lot."

"There?"

"Yep, there's your daddy's best friend. His name was Johnny, and he was a lot like you."

"Mmm."

"He died young. Over here, this is another friend named Dallas. He died young too. Maybe your daddy will tell you their story when you're older. Wanna put some flowers in these little cups?"

"Yep."

They went to the park after that, and Johnny fell in love with the swings. While they were there, Two-Bit showed up with two of Darry's kids, plus his son Neil, and Steve's boy. "Hey, is this the FNG?"

"Pony told me not to teach Johnny any new vocab words, Two-Bit. I think that rule applies to you too."

"Probably, but I'll be damned if he isn't a cutie-pie. Spittin' image of Johnny Cade, too. Why don't y'all run along and play? Go make friends with Johnny, or something." Two-Bit shooed the kids away.

"He's real sweet too. I took him to the cemetery today, and I let him put the new flowers out. You should probably go see what the kids are doing. It kinda looks like they're up to no good."

"Shoot! Get your asses over here, you little freaks!"

Johnny had gotten off the swing, and climbed up next to Darry on the bench, laying his head in his lap. "I guess you do like me after all, huh, kiddo." He ran his fingers through Johnny's hair as Two-Bit rounded up the rascals and brought them over to meet Johnny. Johnny held Buttons in a death grip.

"Okay, guys, this is Johnny. He's your new cousin, so be nice to him and don't make him cry, or there'll be Hell to pay."

"Me first, Daddy! I'm Neil. Nice to meet you, Johnny."

"I'm Patrick. D'you like turtles?" Johnny nodded, sitting up, and looked nervously at Darry. "You should come over sometime. There's lotsa turtles in our backyard. We even have a mud pit and everything!"

"Tell him who this is, Pat." Darry said, gesturing toward Mikey.

"Oh, this is Mikey, my baby brother. He doesn't talk too good yet, but he likes turtles too." Patrick leaned over, right next to Johnny's ear, "He eats dirt also, but Daddy says I'm not s'posed to tell people that." He whispered, grinning mischievously. Johnny laughed, then sneezed.

"Hi, I'm Dave. D'you like to color?"

"Mmm-hmm."

"Good, 'cuz I fugging love coloring! I drew all over my room yesterday with marker, and my daddy didn't even cuss at me once." Dave puffed out his chest, smirking.

"Dave, what did I say about using those kinds of words around Johnny?" Two-Bit demanded.

"They shouldn't fugging care, Daddy says they're just words and they don't mean nothin'."

"Anything." Darry corrected. "Dave, if you don't quit saying that word in front of my kids and nephew, I'll cuff you one real good."

Johnny, meanwhile, had sat down by Patrick and Mikey, showing them Buttons. "That's cool! Did Aunt Cathy give you that?" Patrick asked. Johnny shook his head, and hugged Buttons against his chest. "Well, where did you get it?" Patrick wasn't very good at picking up hints.

"Momma's friend." Johnny mumbled, sticking his thumb in his mouth.

"Hey, Pat, why don't y'all go and play now? I don't think Johnny's too interested in a game of Twenty Questions." Darry suggested.

"Okay, we'll see ya later, Johnny!" Patrick yelled as he ran after his friends. Mikey tried to grab Buttons from Johnny before Two-Bit pulled him on his lap.

"Wanna go on the swings again, Johnnycake?" Darry held out his hand.

"Home, please?" Johnny asked in a quavering voice.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** _ **S. E. Hinton owns all rights to the characters in The Outsiders and her other stories, I only own my imagination. Charlotte's Web is the intellectual property of E.B. White.**_

Johnny was napping when we came home, and Darry was busy cleaning up the dishes. "How'd everything go today?" I asked.

"It went just fine, but don't be surprised if he suddenly tries to crane kick you. The whole _Karate Kid_ series was on TV."

"I heard that a part four was in the works, but I'm not sure if it'll ever be completed. I'm surprised you two didn't watch _The Outsiders_ or _Tex_ , considering the fact that Matt Dillon's one of your favorite actors."

"I like Ralph Macchio too, you know. I'm just jealous 'cuz he looks sixteen still. I think he's probably a vampire."

"Why is the marshmallow fluff out?" Cathy asked, putting it back in the pantry.

"We made marshmallow and Nutella sandwiches."

"And then you had chocolate graham crackers and ice cream. If my son gets fat, I'm blaming you, Darry."

"Calm down, Nervous Nancy! He's all skin and bone, if you haven't noticed, and I thought he might like something sweet. I'll do tuna sandwiches next time."

"So, I heard y'all went to the park." I said, placing boxes of chocolate graham crackers and Teddy Grahams on Johnny's shelf in the pantry.

"You must've seen Two-Bit at the store."

"He told me that Johnny said something about his sock monkey." I put a jar of pickles in the fridge door.

"Yeah, he told Pat and Mikey that it was from 'Momma's friend'. He doesn't call Cathy 'Momma', so I kinda thought it was strange."

"Maybe somebody made it for him after one of the times his mother tried to sell him. It looks handmade." Cathy said, heaving bags of flour on top of the fridge.

"I was thinking the same thing." Darry agreed, chewing on a toothpick.

Johnny emerged from his room half-dressed and sleepy, but happy to see us. He was wearing a white paisley hankie around his head as a bandana.

"Mini Macchio's up, I see." I laughed, scooping him up in a hug.

"I did that to see what he'd do. I guess he likes it."

"He looks like Rambo during his preschool years." Cathy mussed his tousled hair.

"We should dress him up for Halloween as the Karate Kid. He'd look too cute, and you'd get lots of candy." Darry's offer was tempting. Johnny did look adorable, but I wasn't sure where we'd put all the candy.

"How'd he do with the kids?"

"He was okay, Pat nearly talked his ear off, though. I don't know where he gets that from, considering he's my kid."

"Maybe Two-Bit's rubbing off on him. Aren't we gonna have a party for him and Soda sometime this week?"

"Yeah, it's gonna be on Saturday, since the eighth is this Tuesday."

"And will Soda be turning five too?" Cathy giggled, handing Johnny a bowl of applesauce and a napkin filled with Teddy Grahams, which he ate under the table.

"No, but feel free to get him a cartoon cake too. He loves those."

"You okay, Johnnycake?" I knelt down to see what he was doing, and he just looked at me, calmly dipping the Teddy Grahams in the applesauce.

"He ate his breakfast under there too, Pony. I think he might like it better on the floor."

"Where'd he eat lunch?"

"On the couch with me. He hardly made a sound through all three movies."

"I can't believe you let him watch those. Did you have to wash his mouth out or anything?"

"No, he's been real good all day. We hit that little hiccup when he was asked about Buttons, and he cried for a while once we got home, but after I laid him down for a nap, he was fine."

"You wanna stay for dinner, Darry? We're having sloppy joes."

"I can't. I promised Two-Bit I'd take my kids back."

"Okay, well, thanks for keeping Johnny out of trouble." I said. "Hey, Johnny, it's time for Uncle Darry to go."

Johnny ran up to Darry and ambushed him with a quick hug. Then, he returned to his snack. He managed a shy "Bye," but that was it.

"See ya later, kiddo."

Sloppy joes are just about the messiest thing you can feed a four-year-old, and I had him sit in his chair instead of under the table. "I know you like it down there, but you can eat here with Mommy and me for a while. I'll let you eat a graham cracker under there later, okay?" Johnny nodded, and took a huge drink of milk before starting in on his food. "You like that bandana?"

"Mmm-hmm."

"Let's see if we can't find you one just like in that movie. Would you like that?"

"Mmm-hmm."

Bedtime was a little easier now that he had those glow stars, and he even wanted me to read to him. "'It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.' And that's the end of _Charlotte's Web_. Now, I think it's time for you to get some sleep, Johnnycake. You've got another big day ahead of you." I kissed him goodnight, and kept the hall light on as I got ready for bed too.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** _ **S. E. Hinton owns all rights to the characters in The Outsiders and her other stories, I only own my imagination. Disney owns Star Wars, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are owned by Nickelodeon. Please don't sue me if I missed anything! I have nothing of any real monetary value.**_

When Saturday rolled around, we drove down to Darry's house for the double birthday party. "How old is Soda this year?" Cathy wondered.

"I think he's 43. He was about five months older than Johnny, so I usually used Johnny's age as a ballpark estimate." I said, feeling pretty old myself.

"Turtles." Johnny whispered from the backseat.

"I wish I knew what goes on in that cute little head of his." Cathy said amidst a giggle fit.

"He's thinking about turtles right now, obviously. Pat must've told him about the ones in the mud pit." I grinned back at Johnny, who was playing with Buttons, Luke Skywalker, and Raphael.

"Maybe we should get him one."

"I think we need to wait a few years before we start thinking about a pet. We just brought him home a week or so ago."

"I know, but he needs something, Pony."

"He needs to make friends with his cousins. Maybe he'll be a good influence on them."

We pulled into the driveway, and Cathy grabbed the presents while I debriefed Johnny. "It's gonna be really loud and there's gonna be a whole lot of people in there. You've seen most of them, but there's some you've never seen before. The kids will all be there playing or something, but if you get scared, come find me."

"Uncle Darry?"

"Yeah, he's there. Remember how I told you it's Soda's and Pat's birthday party? He'll be pleased as Punch to see you. C'mon, Johnnycake, they can't wait for us all day."

The party was bubbling over with raucous happiness, and Johnny stayed pretty close to me initially. I sat him on my lap as people roamed in and out, and I was soon enveloped in a conversation with Two-Bit about the rumored Star Wars prequel. Johnny, meanwhile, had locked eyes with someone he'd never met before.

Soda sat on the couch, listlessly staring at the empty space where our parents' picture used to be. I guess one of Darry's kids must've knocked it down. He snapped back to reality as a little hand touched his. "Hey." He uttered, surprised, as Johnny climbed up too, using him as leverage. He gave Soda a whole couch cushion worth of space, and put Buttons between them. Even though there was so much activity around them, Soda and Johnny stared at each other like they were the only two in the room. "Soda, this is Johnny." I introduced my son, awkwardly breaking the thread of my prior conversation.

"I know." He replied, digging in his jacket pocket for a cigarette and his lighter.

"Johnny, can you say 'hi' to Uncle Soda?" Johnny didn't hear me. He was fascinated by the burning end of the cigarette in Soda's mouth. He crawled closer to him, his eyes never leaving the reddish glowing tip. Soda put his arm around Johnny and blew soft curls of smoke into his hair, flicking the ash into an empty beer bottle.

Not a single idle word was exchanged between the two of them, but they just seemed to understand each other regardless. Like how my buddy Johnny and I once had. As I watched my son and brother, I knew that even if Johnny was more troubled than we first thought, it would be just fine. My buddy's words echoed in my head against the refrain of _Happy Birthday_. '… _I've been thinking about it, and that poem, that guy that wrote it, he meant you're gold when you're a kid, like green. When you're a kid, everything's new, dawn. It's just when you get used to everything that it's day… You still have lots of time to make yourself be what you want. There's still lots of good in the world… Stay gold, Ponyboy. Your buddy, Johnny_.'


End file.
